Join Us For Dementia Chats Tuesday

Dementia Chats™ was created with the intention to educate people living with dementia; their care partners both family and friends as well as professionals and advocates. Our Experts are those diagnosed with dementia.

WDIY Radio Discusses Dementia

Impacting Communities and Families

Click Above to Listen To The Interview with Marriage and Family Therapist Eleanor Bobrow explores the topic of dementia with her guests: Kelly O’Shea-Carney, PhD, (Clinical Psychologist and Executive Director of the Dementia Center for Excellence for Phoebe Ministries), Lori LaBey (founder and CEO of Alzheimer’s Speaks), and Trina Johnson-Brady (Community Relations Specialist at Phoebe Ministries).

University of Minnesota School of Nursing and

The Lutheran Home Association Partner

on Federal Grant

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing has been awarded a $1.2 million dollar grant in partnership with The Lutheran Home Association of Belle Plaine, Minnesota through the Federal Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to study the potential impact that health monitoring technology has on persons with Alzheimer’s/dementia and their family caregivers.

The goal of this 5-year research demonstration project is to measure the effectiveness of advanced technology that utilizes monitors and sensors to provide remote health monitoring around the clock to help persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia related conditions maintain independence and optimum health. The remote monitoring system uses monitors and sensors to track daily activity and alert caregivers if an incident has potentially occurred, such as a fall, wandering, or missed medication.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures 2014, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia conditions. In 2012, 15.4 million caregivers provided more than 17.5 billion hours of unpaid care to people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia conditions valued at $216 billion.

Joseph E. Gaugler, PhD, U of M School of Nursing is a national leader in dementia caregiver support interventions, is leading this research study. “We anticipate that this innovative health monitoring intervention, which adopts a proactive approach to chronic disease care, will result in a cost-effective approach that offers robust support for family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias at home,” Joseph Gaugler, PhD, U of M.

The Lutheran Home Association has been implementing health monitoring technology across multiple settings, including private homes, for the past 6 years and has launched technology enabled care models which assist older adults to live independently in their homes. The Lutheran Home Association offers comprehensive experience in program development and design, advanced health technology implementation, rural health services, rural training development and outreach, program administration, and innovative service delivery strategies.

The Lutheran Home Association will provide the technology assessment, technology installation, training, and support for family caregivers. “By partnering with the University of Minnesota in this study, The Lutheran Home Association continues its’ national movement as an organization that is leading innovation through the implementation of new technologies that may positively and significantly impact the care giving sector. We look forward to the outcomes of this study and how the results may positively impact Alzheimer’s/dementia support strategies and the dementia care model,” Michael Klatt, President and CEO, The Lutheran Home Association.

Dr. Gaugler is an Associate Professor and McKnight Presidential Fellow in the School of Nursing and the Center on Aging. His research focuses on Alzheimer’s disease and long-term care as well as supporting family caregivers of older persons with chronic diseases. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Psychological Association and is Editor of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing ranks 15th nationally, in funding from the National Institutes of Health, among schools of nursing across the country. It is the oldest continuously-operated, university-based school of nursing. The School of Nursing is one of six schools and colleges in the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research, and education.

About The Lutheran Home Association
The Lutheran Home Association offers a wide variety of healthcare, housing and spiritual outreach services with campuses in several states and congregational programs serving seniors and individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities nationwide. Learn more at www.tlha.org, follow @TLHAword on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook.

HELP US TO MAKE THE VOICES OF

PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

HEARD IN WASHINGTON DC!

CCAL-Advancing Person-Centered Living is working with the University of Buffalo-Institute for Person-Centered Care on a research project funded by the Retirement Research Foundation. One of the aims of the study is to gather feedback from a geographically diverse group of people about what they feel is important and/or needed concerning dementia care in America.

The aim of the survey is to develop agreement on priorities for dementia care, research, education, and funding from the perspectives of people living with dementia, family care partners, and advocates for people with dementia. As someone with knowledge about dementia, we invite you to take part in this study. It is easy to participate and will not involve much of your time.

There will be at least one more round of the survey as we build agreement. We hope that you, will participate in the multiple rounds. We will ask you for your email at the end of the survey so we can send the next survey to you. Your responses and any other information you provide will not be linked to your email. The research has been approved by the Internal Review Board at the University of Buffalo.

A written survey and a pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope can be mailed to you if you would prefer this method instead of completing the survey online. Please call the number below and leave your name and address.

We will combine the views of everyone who takes part in the survey. We will use the information to help inform federal policymakers about what people feel is important and needed concerning dementia care to better inform and shape their priorities.

Click Above To Go To The Show

Hearing Loss & Memory Impairment

Plus Perceptions of Dementia

Tuesday January 21st, 2014

Our first guest will be Zounds Franchise Owner Christopher J. Poletto, PhD. We are going to talk about hearing loss, stigmas, perceptions, myths, the testing process (which I went through and found very interesting), new technology and a study on Alzheimer’s & dementia’s.

We will also be talking with Dr. Richard Holub, CEO and President of the Neurological Associates of Albany which is conducting a global research study investigating a medication that may slow or halt the progression of early stage Alzheimer’s in patients. Number for patients/caregivers to contact – 518-618-1017

I would also love to hear your thoughts about the NFL fund for players who get diagnosed with dementia and our government funding and plan for the disease. Check out this article about the NFL funds and this article about our government.

Mission-driven Organizations Align to

Make Person-Centered Dementia Care the Norm

Three organizations with person-centered care at the core of their missions (CCAL – Advancing Person-Centered Living, Eden Alternative, and Planetree) today announced they have joined together as a leadership team to form the Dementia Action Alliance. The Dementia Action Alliance will coalesce and connect the voices of people living with dementia, their care partners and other advocates to inform key policy, research, and service provider stakeholders about the importance and benefits of making person-centered care the standard for dementia care in our country.

The United States is facing unprecedented growth in the number of people living with dementia – currently estimated at 5.4 million Americans and growing at an alarming rate as the baby boom generation ages. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine found that dementia costs now exceed those for cancer and heart disease. Despite the high expenditures, the quality of dementia care in general across the country is not up to par. Person-centered care, which is recognized as the gold standard by the Institute of Medicine, would improve quality as well as reduce costs.

“The Dementia Action Alliance heralds a timely Call to Action to cross the quality care chasm into the gold standard of person-centered practices both improving quality of care and reducing overall care expenses – important benefits for everyone,” said Karen Love, Founder of CCAL.

The leadership team has begun to engage grass root groups across the country that include and represent people living with dementia and their advocates to learn what THEY feel is most needed and important for dementia care practices, public policies, and research agendas. A one-day thought leaders’ Summit will be held in Washington, DC in Spring 2014 to share these perspectives and priorities and to discuss how to begin implementing them.

Michael Lepore, PhD, Director of Quality, Research and Evaluation for Planetree, notes: “By aligning research, policy, and practice efforts, and advancing implementation of person-centered care to support individuals living with and affected by dementia, the Dementia Action Alliance is supporting our collective human desire to realize compassion in action.”

“Our three organizations are deeply committed to creating person-centered environments and experiences. By gaining the support and involvement of national, state, regional, and local entities in this alliance, we can reach the ‘tipping point’ that makes person-centered care the only acceptable norm for our country”, Chris Perna, CEO of Eden Alternative said.